We were lucky to catch up with Lucy Evans recently and have shared our conversation below.

Lucy , appreciate you joining us today. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?

When I was a sophomore at North Gwinnett High School, I met an amazing young man named David O’Callaghan. While I had multiple opportunities as a child to be surrounded with these special humans, David touched my heart like no one before. Our friendship helped me discover the tremendous need for inclusion and opportunity for the special needs population. I immediately realized what I wanted to do with my life !!! . My focus and purpose started then and my main goal was to create and expand a nonprofit, Happyfeat.org. I work full time directing Happyfeat’s programs with the help of a dear friend and some amazing volunteers. I have also volunteered coaching a special needs cheerleading team through the Atlanta Jayhawks for the last ten years.

My mission is pretty simple
“To bring happiness, value and love to each and every one of our
special needs friends and their communities through friendship, happy events and inclusion.”

Lucy , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I realized what a huge need there was for our special needs community after seeing many of my special friends and families struggling to find a place for their child and/or family member to go after they aged out of the post secondary options provided. Those options were very limited and unfortunately that led to many of them sitting at home with no social interaction and nothing to do.

I knew then what had to be done, Happyfeat.org was created to bring a valid solution to this very common problem.
We provide a place for our special friends to go once they have aged out at 22 years of ago and no longer have the resources provided to them.
Happyfeat.org had many different opportunities for inclusion .

We strongly believe when individuals with disabilities age out of high school, their journey is just beginning. Our day program is one of the programs we offer which consists of community outings, educational activities, field trips, cooking, etc. Our Day program follows Gwinnett County School Calendar starting in August ending in May.

During the Summer Months of June and July we offer a 6-7 week summer camp called “Camp Happy”.
This program allows us to be able to serve our younger friends with special needs. Our . Summer camp includes visits from special guests, field trips, crafts, weekly pool visit, and fun lunches and much more!

Throughout the year , we also host many fun exclusive events which provide community involvement . Happy Server Nights at local restaurants, A Halloween Trunk or Treat party, and our biggest is The Night to Shine Prom every February.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I’d say the exponential growth that we have experienced has been largely in part to the friendships developed early on through our community events . Referrals and word of mouth within the special needs community keep us moving forward and striving to serve all on our ever growing waiting list .

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

When I started Happyfeat I was alone with the help of wonderful volunteers and family. Nicole Short joined Happyfeat as a co-director of the DayProgram in August of 2019.
She worked and assisted in a ASD level 1 classroom for 3 years while completing her masters in school counseling before joining Happyfeat.

Our friendship began when we were just kids, and only grew stronger as we got older. We share the same love and passion for our special friends and it has allowed us to grow Happyfeat into the program it is today. We are continuously working hard to expand the program in the best of ways. Our ages are equivalent to our members, which adds a special dynamic for the group. Our approach is to provide a mentorship so each member can continue to grow and be the best versions of themselves.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.happyfeat.org/about
• Instagram: Happyfeat
• Facebook: HappyFeat Suwanee

Image Credits

Happyfeat Staff:

Lucy Evans
Nicole Short